kscans

Chapter 532 - Good News

"—Hah…!!!"

"Whoa, you scared me."

On the third day, having overslept until past ten o'clock due to staying up late the previous night.

Right after a late breakfast that doubled as lunch, as I was relaxing on the lounge sofa, Nia suddenly jumped up, and I, being nearby, yelped in surprise.

Naturally, all eyes in the room turned to her—including Sora and Irori, who were engrossed in a discussion about the Sword Saint a short distance away, and Ashe, who had been listening in on their surprisingly compatible conversation.

For the record, Goldow had left the villa with Helena-san, saying, "Gonna pop over to an acquaintance's inn for a bit." Uni was in the kitchen preparing a three o'clock snack.

Well, it must have been an unconscious action. Nia bowed her head apologetically and sat back down. What was that all about?

"Oh, what's this? Let me see…"

We were sitting next to each other on the same sofa, savoring the post-meal contentment while staring at the ceiling. I leaned over to look at the smartphone she held out to me.

Without needing to ask, I assumed this was the answer to what had happened.

"—Hah…!!!"

"You don't have to do the same gag. What happened?"

As soon as I saw the screen, I reacted just like Nia, earning a retort from Irori. I noticed Ashe had instantly teleported to a position right next to me and was peering over my shoulder.

Her garnet eyes scanned the information displayed on Nia's device from top to bottom… and for once, Ashe's eyes widened in pure surprise.

"It seems a second person has cleared the [Spiral Crimson Tower]."

"…You're kidding."

"Wow…"

Irori's reaction was one of genuine surprise, which was also unusual, but…

What was with Sora? Why did she glance at me before making an indescribable expression that was twenty percent surprise, thirty percent admiration, and fifty percent exasperation?

Surely she wasn't thinking something rude, like a second pervert had finally appeared?

Well, putting that aside—

"Who's the conqueror?"

"The map guy."

"So it was Hayagake-san… Finally, huh?"

I didn't quite get what Ashe meant in her answer to Irori's question, but the name of the second conqueror in the news was Hayagake—the same person I had referenced some time ago when looking up the fastest AGI players.

Given that even high-rankers like the [Sword Queen] knew who he was at a glance, he must be more famous than I had casually assumed.

But still… so a second person finally did it.

"Man, that's great news."

"…Judging by your reaction, you don't seem to care about the glory of being the only one."

"If I cared about that sort of thing, I wouldn't have uploaded a walkthrough video, would I?"

"That was a walkthrough video… well, I suppose. Your attitude of not clinging to trivial things is admirable and fitting for a disciple of the Sword Saint."

"What high horse are you on?"

As I exchanged our usual banter with Irori, I was more concerned about Nia. Even after sharing the news with us, she was busy tapping away at her phone, gathering more information.

It wasn't just enthusiasm; she seemed restless and fidgety, as if something was up. Perhaps he was an 'acquaintance' of hers as well—

Just as I was thinking that, Nia tugged at the hem of my shirt, beckoning me closer. We were already sitting next to each other, but it seemed she wanted me to scoot over a bit.

""…""

"Uh… excuse me for a second?"

I'm probably just overthinking it, but I could feel the intense gazes of two particular people on me. I obliged her request and shifted over just a little.

After I did, she typed out a message on her phone so only I could see…

'Hayagake is Hayassan, he's practically family. He's Hiyo-chan's older brother.'

"Hh… phew…"

Seriously? I managed to swallow the dumbfounded words that almost escaped. I glanced at Nia for confirmation, and she nodded as if to say, 'Seriously, seriously.'

'To be precise, he's her cousin. But yeah, they're pretty much like older brother and younger sister with a big age gap.'

Ah, I see… I see?

"Jus… excuse me?"

I excused myself from the gazes of the three and temporarily left the group of five, taking Nia with me.

The casual way she said it must mean she didn't mind me knowing, but conversely, it should probably be kept a secret from everyone else.

So, we moved to a corner of the lounge where we couldn't be heard—

"…Alright, just to confirm. Was that something I was supposed to just casually find out?"

'Yeah. Hiyo-chan just now said it was okay to tell you.'

Ah, so the first report didn't come from the news, but from Mitsueda-san herself?

"Well, I'm not sure what to do with that information…"

'You took over being my caretaker without asking, right? Hiyo-chan probably already considers you 'family' now.'

"Seriously…?"

'What's with that reaction? Are you saying you're unhappy about being cornered by me?'

"I'm not saying that! Stop it, your glares are piercing me, they're stabbing me!"

I tried to calm down the insistent Nia while averting my eyes from the two girls glaring at me from a distance—one with narrowed eyes, the other with a blank expression… but I couldn't allow myself to lose, so I dared to meet their gazes directly, and Sora, who was caught in my stare, went down in a second.

Ashe, however, remained unmoved. Strong—but that expressionless face was undoubtedly the type that was seething with jealousy. I can tell now.

Anyway,

"Well, I get it. Not that it changes anything, but I'll think of him as a friend's family—but hey. Since we're on the topic, should I send a congratulatory gift?"

Not that I have anything to give to a veteran player like Hayagake-san. Setting aside the unexpected 'family' designation, a sense of camaraderie as one of only two conquerors was starting to sprout the moment I heard the news….

'Oh, you're gonna send a gift under the name [Acrobat] out of the blue? That sounds hilarious.'

"Ah, from that reaction, I can guess how Hayagake-san is treated among his 'family.'"

He's probably the butt of the jokes or something like that.

"Okay, I'll think of something then—so let's head back, Lady Liliania."

'Aww.'

"Don't 'aww' me, look over there! The Blonde Samurai is looking at us with an artistically hateful expression, seizing the opportunity."

Also, Ashe's jealousy meter is off the charts from seeing Nia so close. Sora's probably about to reboot, too. Any more of this and I'm in real danger.

'Then, I request a walk later. I heard there's a beautiful forest path behind the villa.'

"I don't know what you mean by 'then,' but I'd be happy to do that much."

I won't specify whether it'll be just the two of us, though. The feasibility of that depends on—

"…A secret conversation?"

"Haru?"

"Uh… um… Nia-chan?"

'Why did you pass the buck to me? I might say something that's not entirely true, you sure about that???'

—the moods of their respective ladyships…

"Hmph."

Hey you, over there. Why did you just snort at your junior who's being put on the spot?

I'm not asking you to save me, but you'll remember this, you bastard.